Magpie

Magpie facts at a glance

How big is a magpie?

An adult magpie measures 45 cm long — about 26% of the height of an average adult person (1.73 m) — and weighs around 230 g, a small fraction of an average adult’s body weight (70 kg).

What is a group of magpies called?

Explore more animal collective nouns and baby animal names .

Intelligence and self-awareness

Magpies are among the cleverest birds in the world, with a large brain relative to body size. In a famous experiment, magpies became one of the very few non-mammal species to pass the mirror self-recognition test, appearing to understand that the reflection was themselves. They solve problems, plan ahead, and remember complex social relationships within their flocks. Such cognitive skill puts them alongside their crow-family relatives as feathered problem-solvers.

Diet and feeding

The magpie is an omnivore that eats insects, worms, seeds, fruit, carrion, scraps, and the eggs and chicks of other birds. This raiding of nests has given magpies an unfair reputation, though studies show it has little effect on overall songbird numbers. Their varied diet lets them thrive in farmland, hedgerows, parks, and gardens alike. Magpies readily exploit human food waste and often forage boldly around towns and roadsides.

The myth of the thieving magpie

Magpies have long been accused of stealing and hoarding shiny objects, a belief cemented by opera and folklore. In reality, research suggests wild magpies are more wary than attracted when confronted with shiny items, and there is little evidence of genuine treasure-hoarding. The birds do cache food, hiding surplus to eat later, which may be the root of the legend. Their reputation as thieves is largely a human story rather than a fact of magpie behaviour.

Behaviour and social life

Magpies are noisy, sociable birds that pair for the long term and defend a territory throughout the year. Non-breeding birds may gather in loose flocks, and large numbers sometimes assemble in dramatic communal displays known as "parliaments." They chatter with a distinctive rattling call and mob predators such as cats and birds of prey. Bold and curious, they are quick to investigate anything new in their surroundings.

Nesting and reproduction

Breeding magpies build a large, domed nest of sticks with a roof to shelter the eggs and young from predators and weather. The female lays a clutch of around six eggs in spring, and both parents help feed the chicks once they hatch. Young magpies stay with their parents for several weeks after fledging before joining flocks of other juveniles. Magpies are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, and populations across Europe are stable or increasing.

Did you know? Magpie facts

• The Eurasian magpie is a striking black-and-white member of the crow family with an iridescent blue-green sheen and a long tail.
• A group of magpies is called a parliament, and also a tiding, a mischief, or a tittering. A baby magpie is called a chick.
• Extremely. Magpies are corvids and among the smartest birds, able to solve problems, recognise human faces, and even pass the mirror self-recognition test — a sign of self-awareness rare in the animal kingdom.
• Mostly no. The idea is largely a myth; studies show magpies are often wary of unfamiliar shiny objects. The reputation comes from folklore and stories rather than from real hoarding behaviour.
• Magpies sometimes take eggs and nestlings in spring, which upsets some gardeners, but research shows this has little overall impact on songbird numbers, which are limited more by habitat and food.
• Conservation: Least Concern (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

Magpie feeds primarily as a omnivore (insects, scraps, fruit, eggs). Magpies are members of the corvid family, among the brainiest of all birds. In a famous experiment, magpies marked with a coloured spot tried to remove it while looking in a mirror — passing the 'mirror test' for self-recognition, something previously

Adaptations

• Magpies are members of the corvid family, among the brainiest of all birds. In a famous experiment, magpies marked with a coloured spot tried to remove it while looking in a mirror — passing the 'mirror test' for self-recognition, something previously seen only in great apes, dolphins, and elephants. They solve problems, remember individual human faces, and even appear to hold 'funerals', gathering around a dead magpie.
• Magpies are opportunistic omnivores that eat insects, worms, seeds, fruit, scraps, carrion, and sometimes the eggs and chicks of other birds — a habit that makes them controversial with gardeners, though studies show they have little effect on songbird populations overall. They are social outside the breeding season, sometimes gathering in noisy groups, and build large domed nests with a roof of twigs.

Behaviour & ecology

• Magpies are members of the corvid family, among the brainiest of all birds. In a famous experiment, magpies marked with a coloured spot tried to remove it while looking in a mirror — passing the 'mirror test' for self-recognition, something previously seen only in great apes, dolphins, and elephants. They solve problems, remember individual human faces, and even appear to hold 'funerals', gathering around a dead magpie.
• Magpies are opportunistic omnivores that eat insects, worms, seeds, fruit, scraps, carrion, and sometimes the eggs and chicks of other birds — a habit that makes them controversial with gardeners, though studies show they have little effect on songbird populations overall. They are social outside the breeding season, sometimes gathering in noisy groups, and build large domed nests with a roof of twigs.
• Few birds carry as much folklore as the magpie. The old rhyme 'one for sorrow, two for joy' reflects a long superstition, and many people still greet a lone magpie for luck. The belief that magpies steal and hoard shiny objects is largely a myth — research suggests they are actually wary of unfamiliar shiny things rather than attracted to them.

Communication

• Magpie uses calls and visual displays to communicate territory, alarm, and breeding status.
• Vocal repertoires vary by species and are often learned or refined during development.

Habitat & range

Farmland, woodland edges, parks, suburbs

Ecological role

Magpie contributes to seed dispersal, insect control, or nutrient cycling depending on diet and foraging habits.

Conservation status of the Magpie

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Magpie:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Least Concern) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Pica pica.

• iNaturalist — observations & photos

  Search citizen-science observations and community IDs for Pica pica. Useful for range checks and recent sightings — not a substitute for formal Red List status.

• GBIF — occurrence data

  Global Biodiversity Information Facility species search for Pica pica. Explore published occurrence records used in range research.

• eBird — bird observations

  Cornell Lab eBird target search for Magpie. Check recent checklists and seasonal abundance where birders report this species.

• IUCN Red List — Pica pica.

  Conservation status (Least Concern) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Pica pica. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — Magpie.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.